Because this handheld already exists - it’s not called Steamdeck. Windows is a terrible mobile OS, there are tests showing it performs worse with less battery life and more standby leak than the Steam OS.
They are not, because Microsoft exec are infinitely more capable than Sarah Bond and Phil Spencer.
This cant be true, how are Phil and co still in a job then?
It does already. Candy Crush and Minecraft to name 2 titles
Because a company the size of Microsoft has incredible fat in the orga + office politics. This is not a ship when everyone is doing 120%.
Microsoft will push for huge retail presence. People walking into Target will not buy a $999 handheld when they have $500 PS5 next to it.
Fanboys and tribalism. Folks not realizing everything will be folded into pc if next box is a hybrid & handheld.People are panicking because of all the FUD constantly thrown at Xbox online. Be it justified or not.
However, for now, in terms of factual results, I can't see any meaningful change for me as a consumer : a ton of games are being released, they have announced some slight hardware revisions which shows Xbox still matter to them. Rumors of a handheld console ? That actually sounds... pretty cool, no ?
So what is the issue already ?
If Microsoft is going to publish games on other platforms I don't see the sense in releasing additional hardware. They have already irreparably damaged the Xbox brand by porting exclusive IP to other platforms (not saying that it was not already damaged before though).
21 grams exactly...the weight of the soul.
Honestly I can't imagine the appeal of whatever they could put out for a console with specs low enough they make profit off each one sold. Nintendo could get away with that, but there's no way Xbox could.
Be nice if they could manage more than 20%
This is horse shit, they lost their identity way before they decided to put a couple of so so titles on competing platforms.
When you are acquiring a well performing business with lots of assets you usually pay premium, in addition, worth adding is the fact that activision was valued even more than what MS paid 7 months before the announcement that they want to acquire ABK.
Sure. Every company can be better managed and be more efficient. You talking about MS so the most valuable company in the world (they have recently made a deal to have their own nuclear power plant), so they have to be doing something right. Xbox division is a different story.
perception is not going to be enough. they will need to be actually strong (bunsiess wise). and when their business is driven by already established, saturated ongoing IPs. and games are taking 6-8 years to make...nope.... they will never be able to make a console work. the ship has sailed.
that is what I said. the perception thing "percived strength" is not going to be enough. and the rest you wrote ignores the current challenges Xbox has to figure out first
I agree with everything except the "digital library" part
techhq.com
We don't know yet. But if we judge by their own history, by the time Sony themselves realise what it is, it will already be too late for them.
Microsoft is addressing the huge energy demands of artificial intelligence technology. It has announced a deal with Constellation Energy to buy all the output from the Three Mile Island nuclear power station, once that facility comes back to life.
Instead of continuing its decommissioning of Unit 1, Constellation Energy will bring the power plant back online by 2026, and Microsoft has agreed to buy its entire output for 30 years. Three Mile Island will produce enough power annually to run around 800,000 homes.
Microsoft agrees to buy nuclear from Three Mile Island
Microsoft data centres need power for AI, and choosing what's nearby will be a smart move for shareholders and glowing locals.
The blank check for the Xbox is over, MS practically bought a nuclear plant for the data centers.
Cool story bro.
I never said it would be enough. Go back and reread everything.
To be fair i think they're trying to compete with Steam Deck etc rather than N themselvesLost the console wars to Sony surely they can beat Nintendo at the handheld wars…
The big problem is outside of the Green circle many still don't associate Bethesda with MS at all, and having the games go third party will just cement that further
Cost a heck of a lot less than everything else they do to fail and would actually recoup it. Spencer could have just done this himself and never have to answer to Nadella. Nadella gave him free reign to waste plenty of time and resources this would have been easy.
Adding to what RoadHazard said; cost would be steep and not much ROI. The whole notion of consoles, even handhelds is to barely break even or less on hardware and make up for it on software sales. If they went that route, it would probably be something like a game pass machine... people would probably hate it so MS is still hesitant on how to approach it.
Is that why they were advertising "no need for an xbox" and bundling controllers with firesticks? They haven't thrown the white flag on xcloud at all. It's just not working out for them as fast as they hoped.
Well it's kind of moot now due to MS putting Bethesda on other consoles now, but the main point is that at the time of the purchase MS was trying to woo people to their consoles due to now owning Bethesda as a whole, gamers did not flock over however so in a sense the purchase was a dud as it didn't change the tides in the manner MS was hoping. Don't get me wrong it has cemented MS as arguably one of the if not the biggest 3rd party publisher there is...
I can Phil it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord